


call it passive or aggressive

by barelyprolific



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Humor, Jealous Nico, Love Confessions, M/M, Terrible Ones, but like, deluca/schmitt but not really, no seriously people this is crack, please don't read this, self-indulgent nonsense, taryn has like one line but it is the best line, there is honestly no effort here this is just, this is so cracky and bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 10:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17578886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barelyprolific/pseuds/barelyprolific
Summary: Nico is jealous of DeLuca. It's ridiculous.





	call it passive or aggressive

**Author's Note:**

> So I got stoned yesterday and made [a post](https://schmicoismysunsword.tumblr.com/post/182356229982/if-we-have-jealous-nico-can-it-be-a-nico-who-is) about how if we get jealous Nico ever, it needs to be Nico jealous over something completely ridiculous like DeLuca and Levi having nerd talks. 
> 
> Then I wrote a little bit of fic for it, and now it's this. 
> 
> Have some crack. I love you guys. ~~And this stupid show.~~

At first, Nico doesn’t notice.

That’s a lie. The truth is, at first it didn’t bother him. Levi is always so excited when he talks about work, now, talks about what new thing he did that day he couldn’t or was afraid to try before. It’s hard to be bothered by any of it when he looks that radiant, and Nico’s the one who gets to be holding him, gets to have Levi touching him as he talks.

He really, really likes how Levi touches him.

So sometimes, DeLuca’s name comes up. Levi’s working with him a lot lately, and apparently it’s going very well. Nico likes DeLuca, and he appreciates that the guy is being so encouraging to his--boyfriend? (He checks with Levi. Boyfriend.) A little shop talk on the job is to be expected, and in this hospital, so is a little more than shop talk, but it’s DeLuca. He’s got that weird thing with Dr. Grey and Link going on (which could honestly be solved if DeLuca wasn’t so straight--and Nico will realize the irony of this thought later), which Nico and Levi sometimes speculate about, but Levi’s not going to, like, bluntly bring up his personal life during a surgery or anything.

(It turns out much later that yeah, Levi sometimes will do exactly that. Nico finds he actually solves a lot of drama that way.)

Anyway, so Levi talks about DeLuca. And it’s fine. It’s all fine.

 

Levi calls him Andrew.

Not--he doesn’t call Nico that. He calls DeLuca that. He’s talking about DeLuca, again. They’re at Joe’s, with Link and Taryn, and Levi is talking about DeLuca. With Link, so Nico guesses he has an excuse.

“He might be hung up on Doctor Grey, but Andrew’s been ranting about you in general more than anything else,” Levi says, waving his bottle around.

Andrew.

“He gets really worked up talking about how handsome she must think you are, with your blonde hair and blue eyes and muscles and dimples and straight white teeth.”

“Did he actually say all that, or are you embellishing?” Link chuckles, raising his beer and taking a drink.

He almost spits it out again when Levi says, casually, “Oh, no, those are all things he’s mentioned directly.”

“Ohhh,” Taryn waggles her eyebrows. “Perhaps this love triangle could become a ménage à trois?”

Link shrugs. “DeLuca’s a good looking dude.”

Levi makes a noise of agreement, and Nico--stands up.

“I’m gonna go get another beer.”

When he comes back, he pulls Levi into his lap and steers the conversation towards whether Casey had a thing for Doctor Hunt or Doctor Pierce.

 

The worst of it is the time they all have a surgery together. Link, Nico, Levi, and DeLuca.

It’s.

The only two people talking are Link and Levi. Link talks to Nico and Levi, but DeLuca won’t talk to him, so he doesn’t bother there. Levi talks to DeLuca and Nico and Link, but Nico’s not talking much himself. The surgery luckily goes smoothly. Nico can only imagine what would have happened if it hadn’t. A lot of shouting, probably.

No, it goes fine, it’s just. There’s this moment.

Link tells Levi to do something--Nico can’t even remember what--and Levi tenses a little. It’s the first time he’s tensed the whole surgery, which means it’s a new thing, and Nico wonders if he should say something.

But before he can, DeLuca is saying, “Hey. Just because you haven’t doesn’t mean you can’t, remember? ”

Levi looks at him, takes a breath, glances at Nico. Smiles slightly.

Whatever it was, Nico’s pretty sure Levi did it flawlessly, because the surgery went _so_ smoothly.

But all he can think is, Levi never mentioned DeLuca saying anything like that to him.

 

“Hey, Doctor Kim, do you have a minute?”

This is the last thing Nico needs. He groans to himself, turning to face DeLuca. “Not. Really.”

“I just wanted to say that I respect you as a doctor, I enjoy hanging out with you outside of work, and whatever I did to piss you off--I’m sorry.”

Nico stares. “Uh.”

“If this is because I thought Levi liked Helm, I swear, I thought he was straight. He slept with Jo, I…”

“Wait. What?” Jo? “Jo Karev?” Levi slept with the Chief’s wife?

“Um.” DeLuca shifts his weight. “No?”

Nico throws his hands up, turns to stalk off. He has an intern to find.

“So, uh…” DeLuca calls after him. “We cool?”

 

 _"‘You can do it, Schmitt,'"_ Nico mimics DeLuca’s voice, throwing his hands up as he paces the floor of Link’s apartment. He’s got a beer in one of them, pauses to take a drink before his rant continued. “Did you see the see the way Levi smiled at him? And what were they even talking about? What the hell is Firefly?”

From where he’s sitting and watching Nico melt down, Link rolls his eyes, shaking his head once. “It’s a show.”

“I got that!” Nico pauses, sighs at Link’s raised eyebrow. Drags his free hand through his hair. “I’m overreacting.”

“You’re being an idiot. It’s _DeLuca_.”

“Levi likes him.”

“Levi likes being treated with respect by his superiors. And DeLuca’s not your love rival, he’s _mine_ , remember?”

“It just bugs me.”

“You’re worrying for no reason.”

“You say that when I’m worrying for _any_ reason,” Nico points out.

“Yeah, but this is a case of particularly stupid worrying. Levi’s completely in love with you.” Link pauses, allowing his words to process. Takes a sip of his own beer to hide his grin when Nico comes around the couch to sit next to Link, look at him.

“You think so?”

“Dude. Nico.” Link raised a brow, expression otherwise flat. “Everyone knows. Everyone has always known. It’s right there on his face every time he looks at you. Yours too.”

Nico doesn’t say anything, so Link continues. “The whole hospital knows you two are together. Karev’s married to _Jo_ , and he tells her _everything_. She actually tried to tell _me_. Also, neither of you are subtle. There are bets about which room you’ll use whenever you’re on shift together.” Link pauses, takes another drink. “I’m usually right.” He grins, unrepentant.

“I hate this hospital,” Nico mutters. Louder, “If everyone knows why the hell are we still sneaking around?”

“Yeah,” Link says. “Because _that’s_ what you should take away from all of this.”

“Shut up.”

 

The next day, he finds Levi-- _of course_ \--with DeLuca, as well as Link and Doctor Grey. He looks a little uncomfortable with whatever conversation is happening. Nico’s not really paying attention to the rest of them. He strides up to Levi, stopping abruptly across from him in their little group, looks him in the eyes.

“I love you.”

Link and DeLuca both immediately shut up. Dr. Grey rolls her eyes.

Levi’s mouth falls open, then clicks shut, his eyes narrowing. Shit. He actually looks a little upset.

“Excuse me,” Nico tells Dr. Grey, stepping in front of her to grab Levi’s arm gently, guide him towards an empty on call room a few feet away before whatever is brewing inside of him erupts.

He shuts and locks the door, crosses his arms and looks down at Levi.

“What the hell, Nico?! You--you did not--I can’t believe you!”

“Everyone knows, anyway.”

“I know that! We’re not subtle! Taryn splits her winnings with me if I rig the bet! I--You still shouldn’t have…” Levi deflates a little. “The first time you said it shouldn’t have been in front of people, like you had something to prove.” His brow wrinkles a little. “Why did you say it like that, anyway?”

Nico feels like he’s got a toothache in his chest. He pushes away from the door, taking a couple of steps forward to catch Levi by the hips. “Okay, so, I really mishandled that.”

“You really did.” Levi won’t look at him.

“I still meant it.” A quick peek. It’s something. “I… Okay, so I might have been… jealous. These past few weeks.”

“You told me you love me because you’re jealous?” Levi’s back to sounding upset, and shit, that is not what Nico wants.

“No! The way I told you I love you is because I’m jealous. Of DeLuca.”

Levi pulls away, his hands on Nico’s chest so that he can look up at Nico’s face, studying it. He waits for the laughter at Nico’s stupidity, or the anger at Nico’s caveman mentality.

Instead, after a few seconds, he gets Levi letting out a small breath, pushing up on tiptoe, and kissing him. Nico chases his mouth when he drops back down, but Levi stops him.

“I guess I didn’t realize what my talking about him so much sounded like,” Levi says, and this--this is one of the things Nico loves best about him. Levi has this ability to look at himself and see things from other perspectives. “You know I’m just excited that I’m being treated like a real doctor. And he’s my friend.”

“I know. And I’m glad you’re making new friends. I’m glad you’re getting the respect you deserve. I just wish I understood half the things you two talked about when you’re together. I feel left out.”

“You know I talk about you more, right? Like, you are banned as a topic of conversation during karaoke, movie _and_ book club nights. Literally banned.” Levi smiles a little.

Nico can’t help but smile back. “I’m an idiot.”

“No.” Levi shakes his head. “If you were suddenly talking about some random other doctor all the time, I’d probably be jealous too. You just… should have told me.”

“I know. If it happens again, I will.”

Levi hums. His hands slide up, playing with Nico’s hair, and his little smile stretches into a slow, smug grin. “Hey. You love me.”

“I do.”

“Well, it just so happens…” Levi pushes up so that he can brush his nose against Nico’s, Nico’s arms tightening around him to keep him steady, “I love you too.”

 

DeLuca turns to Link, his eyebrows nearly meeting his hairline. “You didn’t need him for anything, did you? Because I don’t think he’s coming out any time soon.”

Link sighs, shakes his head. “Not at the moment, thankfully. I wouldn’t want to have to interrupt that.”

Meredith glances between the two men, then at the closed door, and wonders, with a sigh, just what the hell has happened to her hospital.  


End file.
